Fall is a great time to ride a bike, with cooler temps, bright foliage and less chance of rain or snow than in the spring or winter – though Indiana weather is always subject to change.
Whether you’re hopping on a bike for the first time in a while or a seasoned rider in a rut – doing the same few loops over and again – you’ve got great local options for expanding your horizons.
If you haven’t ridden in a while, take a beat to make sure your bike is safe and reliable. That includes doing an “ABC quick check,” said Chyri McLain-Jackson, a licensed cycling instructor with the League of American Cyclists and founder of the Indianapolis chapter of Black Girls Do Bike.
Check the (A) air in bike tires (make sure they’re topped off within the pounds-per-square-inch, or PSI, parameters on the wall of each tire); as well as your (B) brakes and (C) bike chain to ensure they’re working properly. And, of course, put on a well-fit helmet before pedaling off.
Ready to go? Now it’s time to figure out where you’re headed.
1. “Dinner rides” on the Monon Trail
Now 27 miles point-to-point from downtown Indianapolis to Sheridan, the popular rails-to-trail corridor has something for all experience levels, making it one of McLain-Jackson’s top picks.
The Monon is ideal for a shorter 3- to 10-mile beginner pedal. It’s also good for a cyclist who can easily ride 25 or more miles with options to jump on country roads further north.
“The reason I like this trail is because you go through so many neighborhoods, and you pass so many restaurants. If you want to stop and take a break, you can do that,” said Jyoti Verderame, president of the Central Indiana Bicycling Association. “It’s a nice, flat trail. It’s also tree-covered in many places.”
CIBA hosts “dinner rides” that incorporate the Monon, which are great for beginners, with the group stopping along the way for a bite. There’s no cost to ride; you just pay for your dinner. BGDB also hosts rides that are free to join.
2. Fall Creek Trail
A nice benefit of the growing greenway network in the Circle City is that it keeps you from
getting stuck on a paved island or forever headed in one direction.
Take, for instance, the Fall Creek Trail, another beginner-friendly top pick. For a relaxed ride without regular cross-street stops (a knock on the Monon), take the Fall Creek Trail seven miles from where it connects to the Monon near the Indiana State Fairgrounds to Skiles Test Park on Indy’s eastside.
“The only place you’re ever going to cross an intersection is when you cross 38th Street,” Verderame said, adding that you avoid that crossing, too, by accessing the greenway at the Allisonville Road trailhead.
It’s also now possible to ride a greenway trail from that section west to Martin Luther King Drive, McLain-Jackson said, and east all the way to the border of Fort Harrison State Park.
3. Eagle Creek Trail
Along with the picturesque stretch by the namesake park, you can take the expanding Eagle Creek Trail well west of Indianapolis. Of course, this part is not without hills. But for the beginner, McLain-Jackson said, there’s no shame in walking the bike if you can’t crest a slope on two wheels; otherwise the trail is easygoing.
4-6. Indianapolis Cultural Trail, B&O trail and Central Canal Towpath
If you want to see even more of Indy from your bike seat, Verderame suggested jumping on the eight-mile Indianapolis Cultural Trail downtown, the B&O Trail, which extends almost 17 miles from the westside to Hendricks County – both paved – or the crushed limestone Central Canal Towpath Trail from Riverside Park to Broad Ripple.
7-9. Off-road at Fort Ben, Town Run or Southwestway Park
Like hiking and trail running as well as biking? You can take a different set of treads – fat tires – on single track in the northeast through Fort Harrison State Park, at Town Run Trail off 96th Street, just east of Hazel Dell Parkway, and at Southwestway Park with trails to challenge any mountain biking enthusiast.
Join a group ride
As you grow more comfortable riding, you could map out your own road loop or check out apps like Strava to see where others are riding.
Another option is to join an organized group ride, like those offered through Central Indiana Bicycling Association or Black Girls Do Bike. You’ll get ride support – help with everything from improving ride skills to changing a flat. There are groups for beginner, intermediate and advanced riders.
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